


thor, bruce, & tutoring

by chemsworth



Series: marvel high school [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bisexual Character, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Cute Ending, Fluff, Gay Character, How Do I Tag, M/M, Marvel Universe, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Steve Rogers & Thor Friendship, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tutoring, cliche I know, loki and brunnhilde are gossip buds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-06-26 15:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15665784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chemsworth/pseuds/chemsworth
Summary: Thor needs an excuse to hang out with his crush. Luckily, Bruce is one of the smartest guys he knows.ORThe super-cliché highschool/tutoring au no one asked for but are getting anyway.





	1. ideas, braids, & missions

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [He was a nerd he was a jock can I make it anymore obvious](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13995276) by [shrodingersgay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shrodingersgay/pseuds/shrodingersgay). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It wasn't like he wanted to like Bruce as much as he did, it had just... Happened. And the truth was Thor really had no idea how to approach the whole thing."
> 
> (Excerpt from "He was a jock he was a nerd can I make it anymore obvious")

**_ Marvel High School: Student Files _ **  
**_Principal:_ ** **Nicholas J. Fury**  
**_Vice Principal (9-10):_ ** **Phil Coulson**  
**_Vice Principal (11-12):_ ** **Maria Hill**

 **Thor Odinson:**  
      Year: 11  
     Extracurriculars: football, basketball  
     Write-Ups: 2 weeks o.s.s for fighting (2018-19 school year)  
     Grade Point Average: 3.2 (507 out of 839)

 **Bruce Banner:**  
      Year: 11  
     Extracurriculars: none  
     Write-Ups: 1 week i.s.s for fighting (2016-17 school year)  
Grade Point Average: 4.0 (3 out of 839)

_－_

_Why's it so crowded?_ Thor thought to himself with a pout as he weaved in between the hoards of people on his search for his dorito-shaped friend. Of _course_ it had to be this crowded when Thor needed to speak to him immediately. Fortunately, he was tall enough to where he could just see the blond talking to his boyfriend near the water fountains, so Thor made a beeline towards them and plopped his head on Steve's shoulder from behind. He felt the other jump in surprise, and he snickered despite himself.

Steve turned his head to see who it was. "Thor?"

"I'm lonely."

"Alright, give me a sec." He turned back to Bucky. "We still on for movie night?"

"Yep. Tomorrow at my place."

"Sounds good. I'll bring the snacks."

"'Kay, see you later." To Thor, he added, "I hope you feel better," before walking off to his next class.

Thor murmured a thanks that Bucky could most definitely not hear. Sure, they weren't the closest of friends, but Bucky was always kind to Thor, even when Thor was needy and stole his boyfriend from him.

Steve turned around to face Thor, of whom immediately hugged him. Even though his love language was touch, Thor respected his friends' boundaries enough to only hug them when he was excited or feeling down, so Steve knew something was bothering him. Steve asked, "Is it about Bruce?"

Thor shrugged. “Mostly. How'd you know?"

"Well, you _have_ been crushing on him pretty hard lately. Have you still not talked to him?"

"I was going to yesterday, but I just... didn't. Why is it that whenever he's five feet away, my brain stops functioning?"

Steve chuckled. "Just part of liking someone, I guess." He patted Thor's head before pulling away. "We've got to head to class, but I'll help you think of things to say along the way."

"Thank you."

The two of them thought of topics for Thor as they walked to their literature class. Or, more like, Steve bounced ideas off of Thor (of which he quickly rejected).

"What about... sports?"

"He's not into any."

"That you know of."

"What if he thinks I'm just some thick-headed jock?"

"He _won't_ because you're _not_. But what about science? Don't you both like nerdy science stuff?"

"Yeah, but there's a difference. I like astronomy and stars and such; he likes biology. They're very different."

"Oh. What about art?"

"That's  _your_ forte."

"Yeah, well, maybe he likes art, too! It's not that rare, ya know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You've told me millions of times."

"That's an exaggeration, but whatever. Are you gonna help me solve your problem or what?"

"I can't think of any solutions!"

"Just think of different school subjects. There has to be _something_ you both have in common."

"Well, there isn't. He's smart, I'm dumb."

"Then why don't you get him to tutor you?" Steve huffed sarcastically, throwing his arms up in defeat.

Thor stopped in his tracks. "Steve, you're a genius!"

_－_

Thor approached biology a couple classes later, getting increasingly nervous. This was his last chance to talk to Bruce, because they had the class together, and Thor knew he wouldn't get up the courage tomorrow.

"Hey, Thor!" Jane called, waving him over as he walked through the doorway. As he made his way to his friend through the sea of desks, he wondered whether he was happy or pissed to have an excuse to not talk to Bruce yet.

He couldn't decide.

Thor slipped into his seat next to her. "What's up?"

"I heard you're going to get a tutor," Jane singsonged with a knowing grin.

Thor's eyes went wide. "Who told you?" he hissed, eyes flicking over instinctively to the desk Bruce shared with Tony.

"Don't worry, he didn't hear; he's at the front of the room," Jane reassured. "And I won't tell anyone about your crush. You should know me better than that!"

"Sorry. I guess I'm just nervous?" Thor sighed. "I've never really been this nervous before."

"What do you have to be nervous about? You're the physical embodiment of everyone's dream!" Darcy interrupted from the desk behind them. Jane turned around and gave her A Look before turning back to Thor and adding, "Plus, you're super sweet. You don't have anything to be worried about."

"But what if he doesn't even, you know," Thor lowered his voice, "swing that way?"

"Well, I guess that's why this whole tutor thing is the perfect solution for you. You get to spend time with him and get to know him, so you'll probably find out whether he's gay or bi or whatever." He looked at her skeptically, to which she responded with a smile. "You'll be fine, don't worry."

"And besides, if he doesn't feel the same way, it's his loss. You're a great catch," Darcy chimed in again. Jane snorted, and Thor grinned at her.

"What? I'm just telling the truth!"

"We all know how you feel about his muscles, Darce. ("They're _godly_!") Now, lemme braid your hair."

"Are you getting me all spruced up to talk to him?" Thor laughed as he held out his arm so Jane could use the hairband on his wrist.

"How do you know me so well?" she smiled, a laugh in her voice as she wriggled the band off from his wrist and onto hers.

"We  _did_ use to date."

"Ancient history."

Thor smiled as Jane tugged a knot out of his hair. Even though they hadn't been compatible romantically, he would be forever grateful that he and Jane had decided to stay friends.

She was excellent with hair, and he had tons of it, after all.

_－_

The bell to dismiss class rang, startling Thor out of his thoughts. He stuffed his binder and papers into his messy bag and swung it over his shoulder, Jane shouting, "Go get 'im, tiger!" as he weaved his way in between students to get to Bruce before he left. He held up his middle finger and continued walking, smiling at the laugh he heard her emit from behind but not stopping to turn around.

He had a mission. 

(And, if he was being totally frank, it was one he really wanted to get over with already. The suspense was eating him alive.)

Unfortunately, Bruce and Tony's desk was empty. A shot of panic rushed through his veins as he exited the classroom and jogged down the hall, looking for Bruce's curls. He spotted him a little ways ahead, and Thor's shoulders sagged with relief. He didn't know what he would have done if he couldn't find Bruce.

Probably not get the nerve to talk to him. Ever.

No. He couldn't afford to worry, so he took a deep breath to calm his jitters and yelled.

"Banner!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if the stars align in my favor and I stop procrastinating, this is to be updated every saturday :)
> 
> for lily, maria, and brooke! ily guys sm muAh
> 
> apologies for mistakes! please lemme know if you spot any so I can fix em
> 
> hmu on instagram @ chris.hemseyy if you wanna chat


	2. wingmen, favors, & movies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Don't worry, I've been thinking 'bout you too. What do we do?"
> 
> (Emoji of a Wave by John Mayer)

A familiar laugh erupted from the back of the classroom, and Bruce had to will himself to not turn around and seem like some sort of stalker, because no matter what Tony said, he was  _not_ a stalker. 

Even though he really wanted to turn around and watch Thor's face break out into an enormous, nose-crinkling grin.

 _God_ , he thought,  _I am such a goner_.

"What're you thinking about, Brucie?" Tony asked slyly, bumping his shoulder against Bruce's and causing him to snap out of his thoughts. The latter blushed immediately, earning laughs from the former.

"Shut up," Bruce muttered.

"Aw, you know I'm on your side. I'm your wingman!" Tony grinned with a wink, and Bruce couldn't help but smile back.

"Thanks, but I'd rather you not. He probably doesn't even remember my name, so that would be really embarrassing."

"How can he not know your name? You guys were partners on that bio project for, like, a week. He  _has_ to be in love with you by now."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "That was a while ago, and it's not like I'm that memorable."

"Oh, shut your face. You're always such a Debbie Downer, especially when it comes to yourself. Try thinking positively! Or at least neutrally."

"It's not that easy, and _you_ of all people should understand. I'll just start spiraling."

"Maybe take deep breaths?"

Bruce looked Tony dead in the eyes with his most I'm-so-done-with-you expression and took an exaggerated breath. "Better?"

"Much. You know you're not off the hook yet, though, right?"

"I don't know what you mean," Bruce said, voice dripping with fake innocence. Tony raised his eyebrow, unconvinced.

"We are going to discuss how to make Thor talk more with you-" the bell interrupted, then Tony continued, "after class."

"Fine," Bruce sighed. Once Tony made up his mind, there was little that could sway him. A decade of friendship had taught him that much.

Class started, and when Bruce leaned down to get his binder out of his bag, he glanced over his shoulder. Thor was watching him, and when he saw Bruce was looking his way, the blond's eyes went wide and he quickly looked away.

 _In love_ , Bruce thought to himself with a scoff.  _As if_.

－

When the bell rang, Bruce and Tony were the first ones out of the door. They both had their next (and last) period together for study hall, and if they hurried, they could usually claim the best computers for themselves. As they walked towards the library, Tony rambled on about some new thing he was inventing, to which Bruce wasn't really paying attention. Fortunately, he was soon interrupted by someone shouting, "Banner!"

Bruce turned around, and to his surprise, the person that shouted his name was Thor. When they made eye contact, the blond smiled and made his way through the crowd to where Bruce and Tony had stopped.

"Hi," he greeted with that accent that made Bruce feel like the girls swooning over Gaston in _Beauty and the Beast_. It was distracting, and Bruce thought to himself,  _his accent isn't as strong as it used to be_.

"What's up, Point Break?" Tony questioned, tossing his arm around Bruce's shoulders casually and snapping Bruce out of his daze.

"I wanted to ask Bruce a favor."

"What is it?" Bruce hoped it wasn't anything embarrassing. 

"So you know those couple of weeks that I was, uh, out?" Thor asked with a sheepish expression. Of  _course_ they knew. Everyone knew. He had put Thanos, the super beefy senior that everyone hated, in the damn  _hospital_.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I've mostly caught up on the work I missed, but I'm still pretty behind in bio and I have no idea what we did and I was wondering if you could tutor me? I'll pay you of course, but you don't have to I just know you really like bio and you're super smart a-"

"He'll do it," Tony interjected, putting a stop to Thor's ramble. The blond's shoulders sagged with relief, but Bruce looked at Tony with a surprised (and slightly scared) expression.

"Great! I have to go to history, but do you want to text about times and such later?"

"Oh, sure, yeah," Bruce said, probably overly-enthusiastic, as he pulled out his phone. The two exchanged contact information, and then Thor was running down the near-empty hallway. 

A little ways down, he turned to run backwards and wave at Bruce and Tony with a contagious grin before he tripped and almost fell as he turned a corner and vanished.

－

That evening at Tony's, he and Bruce were arguing about which movie to watch as they retrieved the celebratory ice cream (of which they had bought earlier that day) from the freezer. Tony was a sucker for Ben & Jerry's, specifically Americone Dream, and Bruce preferred mint chocolate chip gelato. It was the only way he would eat chocolate, much to the dismay of Tony.

"Let's watch Star Wars," Tony said as he pulled out a couple of spoons from a drawer.

"Again, Tony? We just had a marathon last week," Bruce complained, taking one of the spoons from Tony's outstretched hand.

"But they're so good! Not to mention, the most iconic movies of all time."

"The Martian is _so_ much better, though!" Bruce said as he walked into the living room.

"How can you even  _compare_ that movie to the highest grossing movie franchise in the history of the world?" Tony gasped, following Bruce and turning off the lights along the way.

"Because you said we were gonna celebrate me 'finally getting it on with the school's hunk,' remember?" Bruce shot back, throwing Tony's words back at him and waving his spoon accusingly.

"Ugh. I regret that statement. Can I take it back? I'm taking it back."

"No take backs! Just give me the remote."

"But _the_ _Martian_?" Tony pouted, even as he did what Bruce instructed.

"It's my favorite movie, and you know it. Besides, you love Matt Damon, so stop whining and enjoy your disgusting chocolate-y ice cream."

They plopped down on the couch, continuing to bicker about chocolate while each getting settled in Tony's softest blankets and queuing up the movie. Just as it began to play, Bruce's phone dinged. The two looked at each other, one with excitement and the other with surprise.

_**thor :)** _

_hey Bruce !_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretty short, not very interesting oof sorry
> 
> I might start posting twice a week, maybe not. Just be on the lookout ig? 
> 
> xoxo


	3. texts, celebrations, & thanks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "So I'll keep your number saved  
> 'Cause I hope one day I'll get the pride to call you."
> 
> (Saved by Khalid)

_hey Bruce !_

_so , what days are you free ?_

_to tutor me , i mean_

_Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays,_  
_and Sundays_

_I can also do Saturday mornings_

_i can do wednesday and sunday_  
_afternoons and every other friday_

_sound good ?_

_Yeah. Do you want to go_  
_to the library or smth?_

_we can do it at my house_

_we won't have to worry about_  
_whispering and i have snacks_

_it's also way more comfortable_

_Sure, sounds good_

_Want me to come over_  
_at four-ish?_

 _i can just drive us both over there after_  
_school if you want and you can come_  
_over at two or three on sundays_

_That'd be great, thanks!_

_no worries ! do you_  
_want to start tomorrow ?_

 _Sure. Want to meet in_  
_front of the library?_

_yeah_

_thank you again for doing this !_

_No problem :)_

_－_

Thor got up from where he was lying on his bed and started jumping on it, a huge grin plastered on his face. He'd gotten a smiley face! He was going to get to hang out with Bruce! For hours! Sometimes three days a week! He couldn't wait!

Loki threw open the door to Thor's room with a slam and a fake-pissed look on his face. "What are you doing? Are you a child? You're going to break the bed."

"I'm celebrating!" Thor cheered, ignoring the second question and statement. He could honestly care less about the stability of his bed when he was this happy.

"Why? What happened? Father isn't coming back early, is he?" Loki asked. He appeared calm and collected, but Thor knew his (adopted) brother better than that. He could see the tenseness in his shoulders, and his lips were pressed a little too thinly together as his face paled.

Thor hopped off the bed and walked over to Loki, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Not to worry. Father isn't flying back for another two or three months. I'm just happy because Bruce is going to tutor me!"

Loki physically relaxed at the news. "Oh, well, good for you I guess. You truly need the extra help. You aren't exactly the brightest bulb in the box."

Thor rolled his eyes. "You forgot who Bruce is, didn't you?"

"Perhaps."

"He's the guy in my bio class I really like." 

Loki looked at him blankly.

"You _know_ , I was paired up with him for a project a few weeks ago? He's a really smart junior with dark curly hair?"

"Doesn't sound familiar."

"He beat you up a couple years ago for being a bitch."

"Ohhh, _that_ Bruce. Yeah, I know who he is. So you've got it bad for him, huh?"

Thor plopped back down on his bed, Loki following suit in a much more graceful way. "You could say that. Anyway, we'll be driving him here for tutoring sessions on Wednesdays and every other Friday. Oh, and he'll be coming over on Sunday afternoons too. Don't you _dare_ play any tricks on him, _please_ , for the sake of my pride and sanity."

"That takes all the fun out of the situation though. What am I supposed to do now, watch you both stare into each other's eyes? No thank you."

"Come on, Loki, don't you want him to like me?"

"I don't really care, in all honesty."

" _Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee_ -"

"Oh, alright, fine! Just don't be too gross, okay? I don't want to vomit."

"Thank you!" Thor cried out, throwing his arms around Loki's neck in a tight hug. The younger patted the older's arm awkwardly for as long as he could stand before trying to wriggle out of it.

"You're welcome, you're welcome! Now, let me go!"

"No can do, little brother. You're in it for the long run, now."

"I'll stab you."

"No you won't."

"I'm pulling out my pocket knife as we speak."

"Wh- _hey_ , stop it!"

"Then let go of me."

"Fine," Thor conceded, releasing Loki from his grasp. When he lifted up his shirt to examine his wound, the little weasel made his escape. Luckily, it was just a scratch. Not too deep (not like the other stab wounds he had been on the receiving end of, at least). He sighed happily and fell onto his back, smiling up at the ceiling.

Steve was an absolute genius. Who would've thought the solution to his problem was so simple?

Suddenly, an idea popped into Thor's head, sending him tumbling off his bed and rushing into the hallway at the top of the stairs, calling out, "Loki!"

－

"Thor, these are _fuckin'_ _phenomenal._ " Steve raved, taking another bite of the cupcake Thor had given him.

"Really?" Thor asked hopefully. He had spent many hours (and batches) the previous night perfecting them. He honestly had no idea what he would do if they weren't absolutely amazing.

"Yes, trust me, these are total heaven." Thor looked at him skeptically, and Steve sighed. "You know I would never lie to you."

"Yeah, I just... need them to be perfect."

"Because you're giving them to Bruce."

"Wh- no, I'm not!" Thor sputtered. Steve raised his eyebrow, seeing right through him. "Fine, yes, I am giving some to him. But! I mainly made them for you as a thank you for helping me out."

"You don't need to thank me, I'm just doing what every good pal would do. And possibly repaying you for helping get me and Buck together finally."

"Ah, yes, give him my thanks and some cupcakes. You'd still be a mess without him," Thor grinned, handing over a box full of cupcakes.

"Sure, yeah. Now get going! You have a study date with Bruce."

"Oh, shit! I'm going to be late!" Thor yelped, racing down the hall.

"Text me how it goes!" Steve called after him.

"Will do!" Thor replied as he ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time before running outside, metal doors clanging loudly behind him. He made his way past the cafeteria and towards the library, muttering threats to himself. If he was late, he was going to punch himself. In the face. With a hammer.

Yeah.

The library came into view, and Thor saw Loki and Bruce standing in front of it. Loki was on his phone, most likely texting Brunnhilde or something, and Bruce was looking at the books through the window.

 _Dork_ , Thor thought fondly as he slowed down just enough to come to a jogging stop in front of the two.

"Hey! Sorry I'm a little late, I had to give Steve something," Thor apologized, trying to steady his breathing from his run across campus.

"It's fine," Bruce smiled, a little shyly.

Thor was sure his face was beet-red.  _How can someone be so_ cute _?_

"Can we go now? I have lots of gossiping and napping to do," Loki huffed impatiently as he shoved his phone into his back pocket. Thor blinked out of his trance and agreed.

"My car is in the back lot," Thor told Bruce as they began to walk that way. "Not super far, but it's a good walk from here."

"Oh, okay. I don't mind. It's pretty nice out, anyway," Bruce said, turning his face up towards the sky. Thor admired how the sun bathed Bruce's face before turning his own skyward. He jingled his keys absentmindedly, twisting them around his finger and filling the comfortable silence the three of them walked in.

Thor had a feeling today was going to be spectacular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comin at ya early! my family is going on a quick vacay this weekend and idk when i'll get another chance to post and i'd rather post it early than late :)
> 
> lmk how you liked it! i personally had a lot of fun writing the thor&loki scene and dialogue uwuwuwuwuwu
> 
> anywayyyy uh until next week ig xoxo


	4. car rides, dogs, & cupcakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I like you I like you I like you  
> Sorry I never meant to,  
> But who're we kidding, it wasn't like I had a say."
> 
> (I Like U by NIKI)

The three of them entered the parking lot, and Bruce's hands started to sweat. He was internally freaking out about how close he'd be to his crush for probably hours and how awkward it would be in the confined space of the car and  _good LORD I'm spiraling so hard_.

Bruce knew most people would be ecstatic to be in such close spaces with their crushes, but his stupid, anxious brain apparently decided to give him even _more_ anxiety. Which sucked. Big time. He knew he should be grateful to Tony and the universe for the opportunity to get to hang out with _Thor_ for _hours_ , but he was just scared. What if he messed up? What if he embarrassed himself to the point Thor never wanted to even look at him again? Bruce would be _mortified_.

Why in the ever-loving fuck did he agree to this.

He snapped out of his internal spiral as Thor started to manually unlock an old, beaten-up Jeep, to which Bruce suppressed his surprise. Everyone was aware the Odinson's had money, and lots of it at that, so why was Thor still driving a car that looked like it had been through hell? Bruce had expected something much nicer, like... some really nice car. Rolls Royces were expensive, right?

The blond swung the door open and unlocked the others, to which Loki responded to by immediately hopping into the backseat and shutting the door with a slam. Bruce slipped into the passenger seat, dropped his bag on the floor and buckled up as the others did the same. When Thor started up the car, it puttered to life, with Bruce hoping with all his might that it wouldn't break down. He didn't think he could deal with that, too.

"The air conditioning doesn't work, so we're going to have to roll down the windows, okay?" Thor asked, looking at Bruce for confirmation.

"Sure, yeah, that's fine."

Thor smiled at him and rolled down the windows as he switched the car into reverse, and then they were off, wind whipping through the windows and tangling Bruce's curls. He was sure they'd be giving him hell later.

"Do you mind if I play some music?" Thor asked, glancing over at Bruce quickly. Bruce noticed that Thor was a very careful driver, which he thought was pretty cute.

"Of course not," Bruce replied after a beat, hoping Thor didn't notice his staring. He looked good in a bun.

But then again, Thor always looked good.

Thor glanced over at Bruce again with a smile and pushed a cassette into the tape player. Music streamed through the speakers, and he turned up the sound so they could hear it above the wind. Bruce didn't recognize the band, but he found himself tapping his foot to the beat.

Bruce watched as the city eventually turned into the countryside outside his window. It was a pretty drive, and he didn't feel pressured to talk because the wind and music pretty much filled up any silence possible. It was nice.

Thor eventually turned onto a dirt road and drove down it, a house slowly coming into view from behind the trees. It was a small-ish, cozy house; two stories tall with a wrap-around porch. It wasn't exactly what Bruce was expecting given the Odinson's wealth, but he liked the homey feel it gave much better than the mansion he was picturing in his head.

Bruce had a good feeling about this.

 －

"We're going to set up at the dining room table, so don't bother us," Thor told Loki as the three of them walked up the stairs. Loki rolled his eyes but nodded.

Thor was pulling out his keys when something occurred to him, and he turned towards Bruce. "Do you mind taking off your shoes when we go inside? My mom, uh, doesn't like us wearing them in the house."

"Sure," Bruce agreed. "Where should I put them?"

"Just toss them to the side with the others," Thor replied as he opened the door and kicked his off. Bruce stepped inside and did the same, Loki following suit.

"This is the dining room," Thor told Bruce, leading him into said room and setting his bag down on top of the table. "I have to go check on the dogs real quick."

Bruce's face lit up. "You have dogs?"

"Two. Want to meet them?"

"Yes, please."

Thor led Bruce to a door in the kitchen which opened out to the back part of the porch. Two dogs were standing there, waiting for Thor to let them in, which he promptly did. They rushed in and crowded around Thor and Bruce, looking for attention. Bruce sunk onto his knees and petted them as much as he could as they tried to get as close to his face as possible.

"What are their names?" Bruce asked Thor, barely taking his eyes off the dogs to look up at Thor.

"The yellow one is Valkyrie and the other is Dodger," Thor replied with a smile.

"Valkyrie?"

"Named after the female warriors from Norse mythology," Thor explained, giving said dog a pat. Valkyrie responded by rolling onto her back, and Thor sat down next to her and across from Bruce to give her a belly rub before continuing. "I always wanted to be one when I was little, so my dad had to explain to me that they were women. And don't exist."

Bruce laughed, and Dodger took that opportunity to lick his mouth. Bruce sputtered as Thor broke into laughter, clutching his abdomen and falling backwards, which caused them both to start laughing harder.

When the laughter was pretty much over, Bruce asked, "Why is this one named Dodger instead of some Norse name?"

"Steve named him, and we _all_ know how much he loves that team," Thor answered with a roll of his eyes.

"Ah, yes, I've heard of his extensive love for them. But why Steve?"

"He found Dodger on the street a couple years ago but couldn't keep him, so he gave him to me."

"I'm glad he has a good home now," Bruce said, smiling at the dog as he scratched behind Dodger's ears. He then directed his grin at Thor, only to find him already giving Bruce a soft smile. Bruce could feel his face becoming hot, so he stood up and brushed the fur off his pants. "Ready to get started, now?"

－

The session went well, and Bruce was fairly impressed; Thor was a quick learner and often understood most of the information upon first learning it. Even though Thor seemed to be paying attention well, Bruce's mind kept drifting off to that moment earlier with Thor and the dogs.

He could feel himself falling harder for the blond.

They were just finishing cleaning up when Thor said, "Oh, I just remembered! I made Steve some cupcakes and have some leftover ones in the kitchen. Do you want some?"

"What flavor?" Bruce asked. He hoped they weren't chocolate.

"Red velvet. Is that okay?"

"That's perfect!" Bruce replied, relieved, as they got up from the table and went to the kitchen. The dogs whined from behind the baby gate, and Bruce gave them a wave and blew them a kiss. "I love red velvet, but I hate chocolate. Unless it's mint chocolate chip, then it's okay."

"You don't like chocolate?" Thor asked as he paused opening the box to look over at Bruce, perplexed.

"Not really. Tony thinks I'm insane." Bruce rolled his eyes.

"I'll punch him," Thor said calmly as he pulled out a cupcake and held it out for Bruce to take.

Bruce laughed at Thor's calm demeanor and reached out for the cupcake. Unfortunately, just as Thor was handing it over, Loki yelled "Brunnhilde!" from the other room, startling Bruce which sent the cupcake flying and smearing all over his shirt before landing with a splat on the floor.

All in all, Bruce fucked things up.

Shit.


	5. thoughts, shirts, & calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I think I'm fallin',  
> I'm fallin' for you."
> 
> (Fallingforyou by the 1975)

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," Bruce apologized, kneeling down to pick up the cupcake ruins as Thor grabbed some paper towels and crouched down to clean up the frosting.

"It's fine, don't worry. I'm just glad we put the baby-gate up to keep the dogs out," Thor replied, his lips quirking up in a smile as said dogs whined from the other side. He looked up to say something else, to make a joke or something, but got distracted at the sight that was much closer than he'd originally thought.

Thor noticed how Bruce's cheeks were tinted pink, and how he had dark circles under his eyes, and  _holy mother-of-Odin his eyes_. They were the deep color of sticky-sweet honey in the shade, and Thor wanted to know what they looked like in the sunlight. He wanted to know if the sun would transform them into a rich golden, and he wanted to watch it from up close. Bruce's eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly in surprise, and Thor _really_ just wanted to close the gap between them and kiss Bruce until he couldn't breathe.

Thor scrambled up from the floor and cleared his throat while also trying to clear his head of thoughts he really shouldn't be having right now. Especially since he still didn't know if he was Bruce's type, if Bruce even _liked_ guys in that way.

Aloud, he asked a now-standing Bruce, "Do you want me to get you a shirt to wear while I clean yours? The icing might take a little work to get out and you shouldn't have to wear cupcake for the rest of the night."

"Oh, uh, sure," Bruce said in a small-sounding voice, avoiding Thor's eyes.

"I'll be right back." 

Thor ran up the stairs to his room, cussing himself out in his head. He shouldn't have done that, he shouldn't have just stared at Bruce like he was some... some animal at the zoo.

Thor opened his drawer, thinking,  _why can't I ever think straight around him_ _?_ to which another voice in his head (which sounded frighteningly similar to Loki) responded,  _because you're not straight, you dipshit_.

 _Obviously_ , Thor huffed to himself as he pulled out a shirt at random.  _That doesn't mean I should make him uncomfortable, though._

But _damn_ , if Thor didn't want to admire Bruce some more.

－

"Here you go," Thor said, handing his shirt over to Bruce. 

"Thanks," Bruce said quietly, still avoiding Thor's gaze, much to his disappointment. "Where can I...?"

"You can change in my room, just up the stairs and to the left, if you want?"

"Okay."

Thor watched his retreating figure before he got back on the floor to continue cleaning up the mess. He had just finished when Bruce appeared, holding his shirt close to his chest. "Are you sure you're okay cleaning it? I can just wait until I get back home."

"Of course! You're the guest of honor, and what kind of host would I be if I didn't take care of my guest?" Thor asked with a smile and a tilt of his head. Bruce shyly returned the smile and handed over his shirt. When he did so, Thor realized what shirt, or rather, _hoodie_ , he'd given Bruce.

"Oh, that's my Ragnarok hoodie! I didn't know I'd given you that one. It's my favorite," Thor grinned as he took Bruce's shirt over to the sink to clean.

"Ragnarok? What's that?" Bruce asked, holding the hoodie out from his body and studying it.

"It's this huge annual summer festival in Norway, where I'm from. It's inspired by Norse mythology, and a bunch of bands play and vendors sell traditional food from that region. There are also some carnival games and a Ferris Wheel."

"That sounds cool. Did you go this year?"

"No, but I went the year before. I even competed in the Contest of Champions, which was super awesome. I was sore for a straight month, though."

"Wait, what's the Contest of Champions?"

"It's a big gladiator-style event that happens on the last night of Ragnarok. The guy I was up against actually reminded me of you when you fought Loki a few years ago," Thor said, laughing fondly at the memory.

Bruce groaned good-naturedly, hiding his face behind his hands (a motion of which Thor found to be extremely cute). "Can't we just leave that in the past? It's... it's  _mortifying_."

Thor laughed harder. "But it was a good thing! Loki has been so much more bearable since then, all thanks to you."

"Really?" Bruce asked, spreading his fingers just enough to see between them.

"Of course! He was a complete asshole before that. Now he's just a slight asshole."

"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you swear. Are you not spending enough time with Steve? Has his good influence stopped rubbing off on you?"

Thor snorted. "Steve? A good influence? No way, especially since he started dating Bucky."

"Oh, they're dating? That's cool. I wasn't sure."

"Yup. And to think, all it took was me coming out for them to act on their feelings," Thor said with a shake of his head. His friends were truly idiots.

"Does that mean-"

"I'm bisexual? Incredibly so," Thor smiled, his heart racing as he waited for what he hoped Bruce would say next.

－

_(phone ringing)_

"Steve's phone-"

"He likes guys, too!"

"Well, hello to you too, Thor. Where are you? Are you driving?"  _(background: "It's Thor? Is his study date over?")_

"Yeah, I just dropped Bruce off. We were talking earlier and somehow I mentioned how you both are dating and how I came out to you guys so you would get together and he asked about me so I told him I'm bi and he said he's gay!"

"Oh, that's great! Please say you asked him out."

"..."

" _Thor_. Are you kidding? You just found out he's gay and you didn't even make a move?"  _(background: "Seriously? Put him on speaker. I need to talk some sense into him.")_

"It's not that easy, Bucky! Just because he likes guys doesn't mean he doesn't have a type, and even if he does, there's no guarantee his type would be  _me_."

"But you have to take a chance! Go for it! He probably really likes you too. You're like, the nicest available hunk."

"Fear of rejection is a powerful force, dear Steven."

"He's got a good point, Stevie."

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Will you ask him out soon, though?"

"If I can work up the nerve."

"You have to!"

"Why? You didn't make another bet, did you? You better not have. I'll pummel you."

"...look, we just bought a movie and it ain't gonna watch it's self. GoodluckcallStevietomorrowpleasedon'tpummelhim 'kay byeeeeeeee!"

_(end of call)_

"All-Father, give me some _fucking_ _strength_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> perhaps i channeled my inner gina linetti/crackhead for the last part
> 
> speaking of, i just wanted to write what they were saying over the phone for the last part. idrk why, call it experimenting with writing styles ig
> 
> pls lmk what you think of it so far! comments/kudos give me motivation hhh xoxo


	6. cassettes, colors, & concerns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "They point out the colors in you, I see 'em too  
> And boy, I like 'em."
> 
> (no tears left to cry by Ariana Grande)

"What's your address?" Thor asked as he started up the car.

"I'm actually going to Tony's. You know where his place is, right?" Bruce replied, buckling his seatbelt and almost getting lost in the dizzying scent of pine and vanilla radiating from Thor's hoodie (of which he was still wearing).

"Oh, yeah, I've been there a few times, usually just to pick up Steve. Did you get all your things?"

"Yep. You sure you don't want your hoodie back? You said it's your favorite."  _Please don't take it back_. The uniquely-Thor scent of it had a calming effect on Bruce.

"Yeah, it's fine."  _Yes!_  "Besides, your shirt is still soaked."

"Thanks," Bruce smiled over at Thor. 

"Anytime," the blonde smiled back. He then pushed a cassette into the player and plugged his phone into the cord that was attached to it. Thor noticed Bruce's confused glance and explained, "This car doesn't have an aux cord, so I use this to play music from my phone."

"Oh, neat. What're you going to play?"

"I was thinking something like this," Thor smiled, pressing play and looking up at Bruce, presumably to see if he could figure it out.

Almost immediately, it hit him like a bolt of lightning. "Ariana Grande."

Thor's smile stretched into a grin as he switched the car into drive and began the ride towards Tony's. "Good ear."

"Well, she  _is_ pretty popular. Didn't expect you to be a fan, though."

"Really?"

Bruce took a moment to study Thor, of whom glanced over with a smile. "Well, maybe."

"I'm assuming Tony did  _not_ tell you he also calls me a feminist lesbian warrior, then."

"Wait, seriously? How could I not have known this? I'm going to strangle him."

Thor threw his head back in a hearty laugh, and Bruce couldn't help but think,  _God, he's so cute_ and _I want to make him laugh like that again_.

"If you go through with that, please let me know. I want to be there. Or at least see a video."

"You got it."

They sat in a comfortable silence then, just listening to Ariana and smiling to themselves. Thor began tapping his fingers on the steering wheel along to the beat, mouthing the words and humming occasionally.

"Why so quiet?" Bruce asked with a grin, maybe trying to find an excuse to listen to Thor sing (not that he'd admit it to anyone).

"Loki gets annoyed when I sing, so it's just become habit to not sing in the car," Thor shrugged.

"What, really? You should sing if you want, no matter what he says. You _are_ the driver, after all."

Thor grinned, a hint of a blush spreading across his cheeks. "Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Thor glanced over at Bruce, his smile still present. "You're very motivational. I like it."

This time, it was Bruce's turn to blush.

Luckily, if Thor had seen, he didn't say anything. Instead, he chose to sing along to a song by Troye Sivan (a fact he found out later when he searched the lyrics). He had a nice smooth voice; not star-worthy, but not horrible either. Just average.

Bruce could physically feel himself falling harder for the blond.

－

About ten minutes later, Bruce knocked on Tony's door and looked over his shoulder to see Thor waiting in his car to make sure he got in safely. Bruce smiled, and he could just make out Thor returning the gesture.

Tony swung the door open just then with a loud, "Bruce!"

"Why are you always so loud?" Bruce chuckled, walking past Tony and kicking off his shoes.

"That's a question for the scientists. Is that Thor?" Tony asked, squinting.

"Yep," Bruce confirmed, peeking over his friend's shoulder to wave at the blonde before he drove away. Thor waved back, and Tony closed the door.

"Did you have a good time?" Tony asked with a sly smile, trailing after Bruce as he made his way to the kitchen and sat his backpack down.

"Yes, but it's probably not _your_ idea of a 'good time'."

Tony scoffed. "Uh, I saw that wave. I wanna hear everything so I can tell if my little Brucie is still pure."

"Dear _lord_ , please don't call me that ever again."

"Which one? Pure or Brucie?"

"If I tell you everything, then you can't call me either."

" _Fine_."

 "Good. Wanna sit?"

"Ooh, was he  _that_ good-"

"Tony!"

"Kidding! But yeah, sit. You know this is basically your home, so you don't have to ask."

Bruce smiled. "Yeah, I know."

They went to the living room, and Tony immediately curled up in his favorite couch corner. Bruce sat a cushion away and put the box of cupcakes Thor had given him in between them.

"Sooooo," Tony said, dragging the word out as he took a cupcake. "Tell me everything."

Bruce did as he was told, and he was through most of it, but Tony interrupted right before the cupcake incident, asking, "Why are you wearing your lover's hoodie, though?"

"Okay, firstly, poor choice of language. Secondly, we aren't 'lovers.' Thirdly, I was just getting to that. I accidentally dropped a cupcake on my shirt, so Thor lent me something to wear since it's still wet from when he cleaned it."

"Wet from wha-"

"Tony I swear, if you make one more innuendo, I will smush this cupcake so far down your throat that icing will come out of your ass."

"Ooh, did you use that tone with Thor? I'm sure he would have loved it. Like,  _loved_ it."

"What did I _just_ say."

"'Kay, I'll stop! Just eat your cupcake," Tony conceded, mumbling something under his breath that sounded horrifyingly similar to 'like you'd eat him,' but Bruce chose to ignore it.

"What happened after?" Tony asked.

"We both bent down to clean it up, and then I looked up and he looked up and we were so close and  _god_ , he's so pretty. His eyes are like... like the color of blue fire, or lightning or something, you know? They were electric. And his eyelashes were so dark and long and just made them appear even bluer, if it's possible."

"Yeah, his eyelashes are to die for," Tony said around a mouthful of cupcake.

Bruce looked down at his own, a frowning slightly. "I think he has trouble sleeping, though. He has dark circles under his eyes, and he yawned a lot."

"Steve or Jane would probably know. I'll ask one of them tomorrow."

－

"Did you ask Steve?" Bruce asked Tony the next day as the latter slid into his seat next to the former.

"Hello to you, too," Tony said dryly.

"Sorry, I'm just-"

"Concerned about your lover?"

"Not the exact wording I'd use, but yeah."

"I think you should just ask him yourself. Steve said he didn't want to betray Thor's trust or some other righteous shit."

Bruce snorted. Tony and Steve's dynamic was... interesting, to say the least. And entertaining.

Thor walked in just then, pausing at Bruce and Tony's desk to say hi with a beaming smile. "You never sent me that video," Thor told Bruce, throwing a pointed look at Tony.

Bruce laughed once he remembered his promise to Thor to strangle his best friend. "Sorry, but your singing kinda made me forget."

Tony huffed. "I can't believe you guys have inside jokes about me. That's so rude. I wanna be in on them!"

Bruce and Thor laughed, and Bruce patted Tony's shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, we can make plenty of inside jokes about you later. And include you."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome, I guess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that the ending was short and rushed and stuff, i just didn't really have much to write for that section oof
> 
> anywhore uh i love the sciencebros sm can you tell
> 
> so like just lmk what you thought ig i hope this was good enough hhh i'm hating my writing recently so yeah plsgivemevalidationandlove
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated xoxo


	7. playlists, games, & stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Standing in the eye of the storm my eyes start to roam  
> To the curl of your lips in the center of eclipse  
> In total darkness I reach out and touch."
> 
> (Touch by Troye Sivan)

"How long has it been? These tutoring sessions of yours?" Loki asked Thor one night over Chinese takeout.

"A few weeks?" Thor answered distractedly, poking his chopsticks into Loki's container to grab a piece of chicken.

Loki swatted Thor's chopsticks away with his own before continuing the conversation. "And it's been going well?"

"Fantastic. Bruce is incredibly smart, and he gets so excited about biology. It's cute," Thor replied, smiling like an idiot and trying to ignore the blush he knew was on his face by stuffing his face with more rice. Around that mouthful, he added, "We've been making playlists for each other too, and that's really fun."

"Ah, so  _that's_ why you haven't been listening to Ari lately. I thought it was weird you were listening to whats-his-face."

"Who, Lontali-something?"

"I don't know; I only listen to emo music, according to you, so." Loki rolled his eyes and Thor snorted.

"You're, like, the embodiment of 2005."

"Why, thank you. But back to the subject of your love life."

Thor groaned and went to go throw his cardboard box in the recycling. "You sound just like Steve and Bucky. Did you know they made a bet on me and Bruce?"

Loki hummed noncommittally and followed Thor to the recycling bin, scraping the last of his rice onto his chopsticks. "I bet they'd stop if you just ask him out already."

"But what if he says no?" Thor whined.

"But what if he says  _yes_?" Loki retorted, leaving for the living room.

Thor followed his brother and wondered out loud, "What if I do a trial date sort of thing?"

Loki gave him a confused glance over his shoulder. "What on Asgard does that mean?"

"Well, I have a basketball game tomorrow, but I could ask him to meet me after, and I can treat him to some ice cream or something before taking him back to his place. If it goes well, I could ask him out for real."

"Why don't you just ask him  _now_?"

"I need a confidence boost! I need that moment like in those romcom movies where they look at each other and just  _know_ , you know?"

"No, I don't know, and I don't really want to learn." Loki plopped himself down on the couch and sighed. "You can't just take him for dessert, though. You have to do something more romantic. Take him to Heimdall's."

"Oh, great idea, thank you brother!"

"I know. And you're welcome."

－

Their basketball game went great , 58-27 in their favor.

(It was partially thanks to the fact that Thor played his best because Bruce was there.)

Once it was over, Thor spotted Bruce standing on the sidelines, so he jogged over to greet him with a big grin and a "Hey!"

"Hey," Bruce smiled back. "You did really good out there."

"Yeah?" Thor asked, heart leaping from the compliment as Bruce nodded. "Thanks! Want to grab some celebratory ice cream? My treat."

"I can't exactly say no to free food now, can I?" Bruce asked as he tilted his head to the side (very cutely).

"No, you cannot. I'm super sweaty though, so I'm going to take a quick shower. Do you mind waiting?"

"Not at all. But if you take too long, I'm gonna start walking to the nearest place that sells ice cream."

"Guess I gotta make it a quickie then," Thor winked and fucking  _ran away damn what the hell was he thinking_.

While in the midst of running away, Thor plowed right into Steve, almost sending them flying to the floor.

"Whoa, there," Steve laughed and regained his balance, grabbing Thor's wrist to steady him as well. "You good?"

Thor just put his head on Steve's shoulder and groaned. "I'm a mess, Cap."

－

"Are you sure we can be here?" Bruce asked as Thor parked the car and swung out of it. "There was a no-trespassing sign."

"Yeah, it's fine," Thor reassured him. "It'll be fun, come on!"

Thor led Bruce to the top a hill in Heimdall's pasture and plopped onto the grass, just careful enough to not let his melted ice cream spill out of his cone. Bruce sat next to him, a lot more carefully and quietly.

"How'd you find this place?" Bruce asked as he took a bite of his cone.

"The guy who owns this land works for my dad, and we came over here a lot for dinners and such before my dad got super busy. Heimdall knows I love stargazing, so he lets me come over whenever I want to get out of the house or just look at the sky," Thor explained before downing the rest of his ice cream and starting in on the cone.

"Do you stargaze a lot, then?" Bruce asked quietly.

"Whenever I can," Thor smiled over at Bruce.

"That's cool. I really only know the Little Dipper."

"Want me to show you some other ones?"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome."

Thor stuffed the rest of his cone (which actually wasn't a lot; Bruce helped him to save money and they ordered the small ones) into his mouth and scooted closer to Bruce. He pointed to an area of the sky and said, "Do you see those three stars that form a line?"

"Right there?" Bruce asked, pointing.

"A little more to the right... no, wait," Thor laughed, putting his hand on top of Bruce's and leading it to point to the correct stars. "There."

"Oh, I see it now."

"That's Orion's belt. That," Thor guided Bruce's hand, "is his bow, and his head, and his arm, and his legs are there."

"What about over there?" Bruce asked, swinging his arm to point to another area. Thor couldn't help but grin.

"Those five stars," Thor said, tracing the stars with the hand he was still holding, "make up Cassiopeia, the Queen."

"Isn't she from Greek mythology?"

"Yeah, she's also called the vain queen."

"Why's that?"

"She said that she and her daughter, of whom is the constellation Andromeda, were more beautiful than the sea nymphs. Poseidon got upset and destroyed her kingdom in retaliation. She also got put in the sky so she's upside down for half the year as extra punishment."

"You really like stars, huh?" Bruce asked quietly. Thor turned his head to see Bruce smiling up at him softly, the stars reflecting in those gorgeous eyes of his, and  _damn_ what he wouldn't give to kiss him right then. His eyes flickered down to Bruce's lips, he was so close-

Thor looked away.

He continued pointing out different figures in the sky to Bruce, explaining their backstories on autopilot. Inwardly, Thor was cussing himself out at his cowardice. The perfect opportunity had presented itself to him and he  _didn't take it_. Why the hell did he not take it?

An hour or so later, they were still stargazing, now lying in the grass. Thor had just finished explaining the difference between constellations and asterisms when he noticed that Bruce had fallen asleep. He took that opportunity to get up as quietly as he could and dial Tony's number.

Tony picked up on the second ring, greeting Thor with, "Hey, Point Break. Taking good care of my Brucie?"

"Of course I am," Thor retaliated, walking a safe distance as to not wake up Bruce. "I'm a gentleman, Stark, unlike you."

"Ouch. That hurt Bodhi, that really stung."

"Oh, shut up."

"I'd rather not. So, why are you calling me this late?"

"Bruce fell asleep so I was just calling to get his address from you."

"You know what? I think it would be better to just let him sleep over at your place."

"I don't know..."

"It'll be fine. Besides, you won't do anything  _ungentlemanly_ , correct?"

Thor sighed and dragged a hand down his face. "Damn you, Stark."

"Yeah yeah, damn me to hell and all that. Take good care of my sweet Brucie bear!" Tony singsonged, hanging up right before Thor could get another word in.

Thor rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone, then walked back over to where Bruce was asleep. He crouched down and took a second to admire how relaxed Bruce looked asleep before shaking him gently and urging him to get in the car. It was a little bit of a struggle, but Thor finally got a very adorable and half-asleep Bruce in the car and, a short drive later, into Thor's house. Thor even had to carry him up the stairs bridal-style, since Bruce was so out of it.

Not that Thor minded. At all.

And if Thor pressed a quick kiss to Bruce's head before he left to sleep on the couch, well, that was Bruce's fault, really. For being so cute.

Yeah.

 _I'm a mess for him_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT
> 
> it's not even that long but like. still. i feel bad im sorry oof
> 
> n e way this was my favorite chapter bc of the stargazing section alone. idk if you can tell but i could barely focus on the first two sections and it probably shows kfdlksf when i first started writing this fic i KNEW i had to add that section and i was so excited to write it i hope its good enough hhhhh
> 
> also: i got my star info from the amazing book "What We See in the Stars" by Kelsey Oseid and i highly recommend reading it if youre a huge space nerd like me hhdskj i love the stars sm can you tell
> 
> o and before i forget i'll be super busy again this weekend so the next (AND LAST??? WHAT???) chapter will probably be late again WHOOPS anywhore thats enough rambling for today i hope you enjoy this chapter xoxox
> 
> O WAIT ALSO idk if you've noticed but this is a part of a series and i was thinking i add the very first draft of this fic to it??? its a little different from this version so i was wondering if you guys would like it just lmk in the comments ok bye for real now


	8. poptarts, nicknames, & frozen yogurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I don't wanna be your friend  
> I wanna kiss your neck."
> 
> (Fallingforyou by the 1975)

Bruce woke up to the sun shining in his face. Even though he had slept well, he _really_ didn't want to get up just yet, so he buried his face in his pillow and took a deep breath.

Wait.

Bruce sat up and looked around, and recognized some of the furniture to be Thor's, not his. The Thor-scented pillow made sense now.

He tried to remember what had happened the previous night. He barely remembered falling asleep under the stars and Thor driving him somewhere, most likely his house. Where was said blond, then?

Bruce got up and stretched, looking around the room again for a clue as to where Thor was. His eyes landed on a pile of clothes on a desk chair and a note on top of them.  


_Good morning, Bruce! Here are some clean clothes for you to change into if you want (they're probably a little large though). I'll be downstairs if you need me! Feel free to raid the cabinets/fridge for food and drinks :)_

_\- Thor_  
  


Bruce smiled and unfolded the clothes, holding them up to himself. They were definitely too large, but his jeans weren't the most comfortable, and Thor's clothes smelled like him. Plus, it wasn't every day he had the chance to wear his crush's oversized sleepwear.

He changed into the sweatpants and shirt, then headed downstairs where Thor was grabbing a box from a cupboard. He turned around at the sound of footsteps and grinned, greeting Bruce with a cheery, dorky, "Top of the morning to you, Bruce!"

"Good morning to you too, Thor," Bruce smiled back. "Thanks for letting me crash in your bed."

"No problem. Did you sleep well?" Thor asked as he took a packet of Poptarts out of the box and opened it, nibbling on the outer crust.

"That was probably the best sleep I've had in a while," Bruce sighed happily, sitting down at one of the stools surrounding the island.

"Good, I'm glad." They smiled at each other for a moment before Thor asked, "Do you want something to eat?"

"Sure, yeah. What do you got?"

Bruce settled on some cereal, Loki's Cinnamon Toast Crunch, according to Thor. It wasn't his favorite, but it was a much better option than Thor's Lucky Charms and Krave. His sweet tooth amazed Bruce.

"Oh, hey, what time is it?" Bruce asked in between bites a couple minutes later.

"Eleven forty-five. Ish. Why?"

"I have a boxing lesson later."

"You take boxing?" Thor asked with an expression Bruce couldn't quite read.

"Yeah, Tony's parents' driver teaches me. It's more like a workout than actual boxing, though."

"That's cool. Do you want me to drive you over?"

"Sure, thanks." Bruce frowned down at his bowl, swirling the last few squares around in the milk with his spoon. "I'd rather stay here and chill with you, though."

"Why don't you just skip it and stay here, then? I wouldn't mind, and the dogs definitely wouldn't," Thor smiled, said dogs whining from the other side of the baby gate.

"I'd like to, but Tony's parents pay for it, and I'd rather not waste their money," Bruce replied. "Even though they have tons of it."

"How about I take you over, and we hang out afterward?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'd be super bored, otherwise."

"Cool," Bruce grinned up at Thor. "Thanks."

"No problemo, Brucie-o," Thor grinned back.

"Oh dear lord, not you, too."

－

They arrived at the Stark's a little past noon, Jarvis letting them in; Bruce immediately ran upstairs to Tony's room to grab the spare clothes he always kept in there. Tony was sitting in the middle of his floor, eating an apple and reading from a book on mechanics with his soon-to-be latest creation in bits around him.

"Have a nice night, Brucie-poo?" Tony asked without looking up.

Bruce rolled his eyes and opened Tony's closet, rummaging around. "Who told you? Loki?"

"Even better! Your lover."

"Are you ever gonna stop making nicknames for me and Thor?"

"Nope. Sorry, kid, that's what happens when you're friends with moi. I thought you'd be used to it by now."

"Did you really just call me kid? I thought you only called Peter that."

"I mean, I've basically adopted you. Be more respectful to your father."

"I'm... not even going to acknowledge that. I'm gonna go get dressed and get downstairs. See you later?"

"Of course, boo bear. I'll be expecting tea, though!"

"Oh my god. I need to ban you from Twitter."

－

After Bruce's workout and a quick shower, he and Thor went to the nearest frozen yogurt place, which was located in a large outdoor mall. Thor payed for them both, then they went to a park area where they could sit down and eat their froyos while people-watching.

And maybe it was the perfect weather, or the sun shining on Thor making him look like a god, or the fact that he had fallen asleep under the stars and woke up in Thor's bed, or the fact that he was spending so much time with Thor lately, but Bruce really wanted to tell Thor how he felt, how much he cared about him and  _not_  in the just-friends way.

He somehow held in his words until they finished their froyos, but then Thor smiled at him and Bruce's heart hurt  _so_   _bad_  and the words poured out like an unstoppable tsunami.

"I like you," Bruce blurted out. "A lot. And not as a friend, well, yeah, like a friend, but also more than that. I really like you, and I have for a while, and I know this will probably make things really awkward between us but I can't keep being your friend because I want to be so much more and I really don't want this to ruin our friendship but I just couldn't-"

"Bruce," Thor said gently, resting a hand on Bruce's shoulder. Bruce avoided those electric-blue eyes, looking down at his hands instead. They were shaking, he was so _nervous_ this was such a bad idea-

"Bruce, look at me, please."

Bruce turned his head to see Thor looking at him with that soft smile, and his insides turned to mush.

"I like you too. A lot."

The air got caught in Bruce's throat. "Yeah?"

Thor's face broke out into the most brilliant, radiant smile Bruce had seen. "Yeah."

Bruce let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and slumped against the back of the bench, Thor laughing at his reaction. "That's a relief."

"Can I kiss you?" Thor asked. Bruce sat up quickly.

"Are you kidding? Of course."

Thor cupped Bruce's face gently and pressed a kiss to Bruce's lips with his slightly-chapped ones, and _god_  it was heaven. Bruce kissed back immediately, still not really believing this was actually happening but it _was_ , and Thor tasted like cake batter and Butterfingers (his frozen yogurt order) and Bruce wasn't a fan of chocolate but he couldn't help but like the taste of it. A lot.

How could he not, when Thor was kissing him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE
> 
> I've actually been busy for once?? wow so yeah sorry for the late chapter but i hope it was worth the wait! im so soft for them i swear,,
> 
> I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER b u t i've been writing a sequel uwu i won't post it for a while though because i want to finish it before i start posting so i don't just become inactive ya know
> 
> also i started writing an ironstange fic for this same au and it is just as cliche!! we stan overused cliche fics amiright  
> if you can guess the cliche i'll let you read the first chapter of it ;)
> 
> anywhore uh yeah i hope you liked this fic ily thank you all for the kudos and comments every single one is appreciated muAh xoxo


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